


The Maiden of the Lake, Feminist Icon? A Critique, By Olivia Koudelka.

by Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: 2011 Bujold Fest, Discussed Historical Honor Killings, Discussed Historical Rape, Feminism, Monologue, My Character Did Her Homework I Bet The Teacher Regrets It, Siblings, Time Period: Reign of Gregor Vorbarra, Truth Justice And The Barrayaran Way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-19
Updated: 2011-07-19
Packaged: 2017-10-21 13:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/225927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannamichaels/pseuds/Lanna%20Michaels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Through the worst of the Time of Isolation, we're supposed to believe that women were happy with being expected to live their lives as tragic icons? Give me a break.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Maiden of the Lake, Feminist Icon? A Critique, By Olivia Koudelka.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Beatrice_Otter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatrice_Otter/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [Beatrice_Otter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatrice_Otter/pseuds/Beatrice_Otter) in the [2011_bujold_fest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/2011_bujold_fest) collection. 



> Written for [](http://www.archiveofourown.org/users/Beatrice_Otter/profile)[**Beatrice_Otter**](http://www.archiveofourown.org/users/Beatrice_Otter/) 's [prompt](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/2011_bujold_fest/claims/29) in the [2011 Bujold Fest](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/2011_bujold_fest): _The Maiden of the Lake. Bonus points if it's in filk/poem form, or if it's a historical analysis by, say, Professora Vorthys or Dr. Duv Galeni._

I don't care what Madame Vorfolse says, the fact that this story is still thought to be romantic is really stupid and says a lot about the continuing dominance of the patriarchy on Barrayar, especially with its stranglehold on popular entertainment choices. Look through the channels! You see adventure programs featuring _boys_ who got to do _exciting_ and _interesting_ things during the Cetagandan War, and what are the women doing in those vids? I'll tell you what they're doing: mostly they're dying! For a good summary, see Why Popular Entertainment Enjoys Killing Women, by Martya Koudelka. Nepotism alert: Martya is my sister. She is very cool. She made me say that.

Madame Vorfolse and the Vor-patriarchy and its agenda would have you believe that women were very happy in the stifling dichotomy of virgin/whore. Countess Vorkosigan says that women on Barrayar are still put into too many restrictive boxes, especially when it comes to sexuality, but at least _utterly notorious_ women, like Lady Donna Vorrutyer, haven't been killed by their male relatives for daring to choose to exercise the same rights of sexual freedom that _assholes_ like Lord Ivan Vorpatril do. In the Time of Isolation, Lady Donna, who, more nepotism alert! I find very attractive! (I _don't care_ , Delia, I'll record what I want, she _said_ this is an opinion paper, and that _opinions can't be wrong_ so long as they are well-reasoned! I am very well-reasoned!), Lady Donna would have been killed! Men can have as much sex as they want, but women can't, because it's all about the men and it's all about the continuation of men. Who cares about women? Not Selig Vorkosigan, that's who!

Selig Vorkosigan! The vids would have you think he's this great hero, but what was he? A murderer and a rapist. For details of his exploits, as shown both in the popular vids and in Barrayaran folklore that hasn't been cleaned up by the well-meaning revisionists, see Tell The Vorkosigans I'm Not Picking On Them, Honest, by Delia Koudelka, who is also, nepotism alert!, my sister, and who also, honesty alert!, would rather not be cited by me for these purposes because she said she did it to make a point to Countess Vorkosigan that she is _too_ approaching Barrayaran history from an analytical perspective and not going into it willingly blinded by romanticism, and since Delia never deleted it, I get to include it as a proper citation in support of my argument, so there.

Anyway, what happened with the Maiden of the Lake, who, according to contemporary sources, was named Olivia, too -- no relation, so far as I know, but with the _murderous and rapist Vor_ , who the hell could ever know for sure -- and how she was supposed to marry Selig, but guess what? Selig didn't magically arrive to save her in time! So she died!

Folklore can't decide if it's more romantic for Olivia to have killed herself or if she was honor-is-a-horrible-reason-for-murder-- erm, -murdered, by her brother -- Delia, how do you make these compounded points in one phrase sound like they aren't so off the cuff? Other than not doing them off the cuff in the first place? -- anyway, she either killed herself or was _murdered by her own brother_ because otherwise, another Vor and his army would arrive and rape her. Why would he rape her? Who knows, he's Vor, that's what they do. They conquer and then they go around raping other _men's_ fiances, because even though the woman is the one who is raped, it's still all about the men and _their_ honor and _their_ tragedy and _their_ lives. Well, I guess it can't be all about the woman, because the woman is _dead_. Does she get a say? No, she doesn't. She's expected to wait docilely for rescue and if that doesn't show up, to then kill herself! Or be okay with her male relative doing it!

Through the worst of the Time of Isolation, we're supposed to believe that women were happy with being expected to live their lives as tragic icons? Give me a break.

This story is stupid. No matter what she does, she loses, because she's not allowed to do anything. She's just supposed to remain where she is, all proper and obedient and _female_ , and wait for the men to get around to doing stuff. No wonder all the vids are about boys and their adventures. Girls don't get to do anything other than die!

Madame Vorfolse can't stand there and call the Maiden a feminist icon. So what that she actually did something, unlike nearly every other woman with a bit part in Barrayaran folklore? What she did was tell her brother to kill her! That doesn't count!

And the story is all about how her brother and Selig Vorkosigan -- who my sister would like to state for the record was, yeah, probably such a rapist and murderer and thief, but she did that project by herself and for her own purposes and so I shouldn't try to co-opt it for my homework purposes and I should do my homework myself and not try to crib, but it's _research_ , Delia, it's called _citing your sources_ and you're one of my sources and you're just going to have to deal with that -- and anyway, her brother and Selig Vorkosigan were very sad that her brother killed her.

Oh, and nothing ever happened to the brother. It was totally okay legally that he killed her. Selig was his Count, too, and if Selig was really as pissed off about it as the story makes it sound, with all that wailing and gnashing of teeth and going _woe is us_ and that crap -- seriously, _what about her?_ \-- and if Selig really gave a shit, he could have arrested and executed the brother for, I don't know, how about murder?

But of course there are never any consequences for the men when they murder women. It's only when they dare hurt a man that anyone cares. That brother lived happily ever after, that sister-killing snot. And Selig probably milked that story for all it was worth, about how he is so sad that his fiance was dead, but I bet he didn't mind how it let him get married to someone more politically important. Countess Vorkosigan showed me the Vorkosigan family tree when I asked if I could see it, and Selig married some Vorbarra. And the Maiden of the Lake was something else, not a Vorbarra. So I guess everyone was happy. The brother didn't get hurt, Selig married up, and the woman got cried over by men and never was avenged or had any justice done, and she never got to do anything interesting or have adventures or be real people and not plot devices or props.

This whole thing is stupid, and it's not feminist.

\--Respectfully submitted for credit by Olivia Koudelka, who is never taking a class on Barrayaran folklore _ever again_ because it is stupid and enraging and she has other things to do, like _watch paint dry_.


End file.
